


An Unsettling Icebreaker

by BCWill



Series: Rage Against The Calamity - Origins [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Anxiety, Gen, Guilt, Language Barrier, Non-Graphic Violence, Offhand Mention of Gore, evil magic subconscious manipulation shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:34:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28040232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BCWill/pseuds/BCWill
Summary: Through a series of odd coincidences, Link manages to get the rare opportunity to talk with a lone Bokoblin. And in doing so, he discovers a very disturbing secret about how exactly the monsters of Hyrule operate under Calamity Ganon.
Series: Rage Against The Calamity - Origins [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119731
Comments: 12
Kudos: 53





	An Unsettling Icebreaker

**Author's Note:**

> A short story I came up with in the middle of playing Age of Calamity that I might try to expand into a more fleshed out AU.

Icy-cold winds beat across Link’s face as he trekked through the Gerudo Highlands in search for the statue of the Eighth Heroine. Although he had changed from the Gerudo Vai garb to something more suitable for the frigid mountains, walking through snow this deep felt like trying to wade through mud - even in his Snowquill Trousers. At this point he was cursing himself for even agreeing to try to find a statue that may or may not exist. Still, those Sand Boots were a must-have if he wanted to have any chance to explore the Gerudo Desert - even if it meant swindling an unabashedly thirsty Hylian. But at this point Link was wondering exactly who was scamming who. 

As he made his way from the Vatorsa Snowfield to the Risoka Snowfield through a narrow ledge hugging the south side of the summit, he took a small breather under a rock arch and noticed a peculiar landscape in the distance. There was a gigantic protrusion of rock that stuck out of the snowy earth like a thorn. It almost reminded him of the menacing pillars that circled Hyrule Castle and Link shuddered at the thought. The rock was large and high enough that it created a little underpass with a faint red glow that Link immediately noticed. He assumed it was either from a fellow adventurer, or an enemy camp. Considering he was smack dab in the middle of nowhere, he guessed it was the latter. However, when he tried to get a closer look using the Sheikah Slate, the snowfall was too heavy for him to make out any outlines - just the eerie red glow. 

Link cautiously proceeded towards the overhang with his recently-acquired Gerudo Scimitar unsheathed, fully expecting an ambush from Ice Lizalfos or something similar. However, an attack never came. If anything, it was uncharacteristically quiet. The large drifts of snow helped to dampen any noise that was made, but this was a different kind of quiet. There weren’t even any Cold-Footed Wolves roaming around. To Link, it felt truly lifeless. As he grew closer, he took notice of several large chunks of ice that littered the ground around the rock formation. The air remained silent as ever as the heavy snow continued to gently float to the ground. 

About a few meters from the overhang, Link finally discerned what was causing the faint red glow. In a patch of snowless ground, a Fire Rod plainly sat. This left Link even more puzzled. When he reached the glowing weapon he gingerly picked it up, finding it no different than any other Fire Rod he’d come across. Cautious as ever, he checked the surrounding area for clues as to who left such an important weapon for these Highlands just laying around. Immediately Link took notice of the various bones and food scraps collected underneath the mini-cliff. In addition, he saw a long fizzled out fire not too far away - complete with a roast rack. There was no doubt about it, this was a Bokoblin and Moblin encampment. This made even less sense to Link. Usually when Bokoblins go out to hunt they always leave one or two at base camp to keep watch. There were also no signs of a struggle. No blood, no mangled Bokoblin guts - just the empty camp and a bunch of large ice chunks scattered in the snow.

Right when Link was about to move on, he heard a hauntingly familiar _plip plip plip_ coming from above him. His blood instantly turned to ice and he dove for cover under the small cliff and kept his back to the wall. Slowly reaching for his Phrenic Bow, Link craned his neck so his left ear was facing up - keeping an iron gaze on the edge of the small rock bluff. The _plip plip plip_ faintly continued and Link could just barely see a blue glow coming from the top of the rocks above him. That could only mean one thing: An Ice Wizzrobe. A chill ran down Link’s spine. Of all the terrifying monsters he’d fought so far, he hated Wizzrobes the most. There was something truly unsettling about their uncanny humanoid appearance, their playful demeanor as they ruthlessly tried to murder you, and their malicious smile of razor sharp teeth behind those soulless eyes.

The soft _plip plip plip_ continued and Link had to assume he hadn’t been spotted yet. But his current position would leave him a sitting duck if the Wizzrobe saw him. Slowly he sidled against the rock underpass to make his way towards the base of the rock protrusion. He kept his form to the ground, maintaining a low profile while making sure _plip plip plip_ was all he heard. Link crept his head above the ledge and sure enough he saw the Ice Wizzrobe dancing at the top of the jagged rock cliff, happy as a clam. Aimlessly, it bounced through the air around a very large chunk of ice. Link ducked back under cover as it turned towards his direction.

Slowly Link pulled a fire arrow out of his quiver and notched it in the Phrenic Bow. Thankfully, Wizzrobes have terrible tunnel vision. So unless it looked exactly in his direction, he would remain unseen. But that didn’t stop Link from taking extra precaution. Using the Sheikah Slate, he took out a circular bomb and eyed the path through the underpass - which was downhill from his current position. He grabbed the explosive by the fisheye lens and gave it a good roll towards where he initially had found the fire rod. Thankfully the snow was packed enough that the light bomb had no trouble gliding across the snow drift to where it was just under the tip of the rock protrusion. He gingerly placed the Slate down on the snow and readied his bow. A small button on the screen labeled “DETONATE” was pressed.

The distinct _CLUUUNG_ explosion of the bomb rune filled the air and was quickly dissipated in the heavy snow, but Link figured it would be loud enough to get the job done. Immediately he sprung from beneath his cover and saw the Ice Wizzrobe facing opposite of him, towards where the explosion came from. Perfect. Link pulled back the bow and felt the familiar rush of combat muscle memory from a life he was still trying to piece together. The shot needed to be made uphill but thankfully there was little wind in the way. Link’s fingers released and the fire arrow sailed true. Before the Ice Wizzrobe even had a chance to process the loud sound, the fire arrow struck clean between its shoulder blades. The arrowhead detonated in a majestic shower of flames and the Ice Wizzrobe disintegrated instantly, leaving behind only a fine mist of vapor and its Ice Rod.

Link breathed a sigh of relief and made his way up the small cliff. When he reached the Ice Rod now halfway buried in the snow, he gave it a quick inspection before tossing it aside. He was carrying enough as is. The thing he was really focused on was the huge chunk of ice on top of the cliff. It stuck out almost like a zit on the pristine blanket of snow. There was no way it could have fallen from a different level of cliff, as the tip of the rock protrusion was still a fair distance from the steep plateau wall. Link felt his hands over the ice chunk and gave it a hearty knock. Yep, it sure was ice. It almost looked like something was inside but it was way too cloudy and overcast to see what exactly.

It was at that moment when a brief break in the clouds appeared, illuminating what was inside the ice as if it were a glass casing. Link jumped in surprise, causing him to reel backwards and land his butt right in the snow. Encased in the ice was a huge Moblin, a surprised expression frozen across its face. Link got back to his feet and brushed off the snow before remembering that there were many more similar ice chunks scattered around the entire cliff. He gasped and an uneasy feeling came over him. Before the sun could hide behind the overcast of snow clouds once more, Link sprinted down the small cliff and veered towards one of the smaller ice chunks. Sure enough, he caught a glimpse of a Bokoblin frozen solid in the ice - its club raised in the air threateningly.

This was where most sensible adventurers would come to the conclusion that the Ice Wizzrobe had done this, then gone on their merry way. But Link was different. On his journeys through the corners of Hyrule, he was especially fascinated by the resilience of Bokoblins. They seemed to be adaptable to nearly any climate without needing to change their daily habits. This naturally led to many failed experiments involving Link and the cooking pot. Although he discovered that while Bokoblin guts hold no intrinsic properties of their own, they do taste like Cucco gizzard when roasted - albeit more chewy.

Link pulled out the Fire Rod he found earlier and set it down in front of the frozen Bokoblin. Quickly, the ice glistened as it started to melt. Half of this was out of a desire to learn and the other half was just plain morbid curiosity. Could Bokoblins survive from being frozen completely solid? If so, how quickly would it take them to become fully mobile again? Link frantically jotted notes down on the Sheikah Slate, then pulled out a short Flameblade and set it on the other side of the Bokoblin popsicle. Hopefully this would speed up the process. Since there was plenty of time to kill, Link brushed some snow off of a nearby rock that looked comfy enough and plopped down. He took out several baked apples from his pack and started munching on one while taking pictures of the setup. He wasn’t sure who to show this to first, but he figured Kilton would probably get the biggest kick out of this.

-

About an hour and a half later and the ice chunk was finally diminishing to the point where the Bokoblin was about to be exposed to the air. Unfortunately the snowfall had picked back up during this time. During the thawing process Link had to get up several times to move the Fire Rod and the Flameblade closer. He considered starting a small campfire, but he was out of dry wood and leaving to get some would risk potentially missing something interesting happening. Link sat on the edge of his seat as the ice was melting faster and faster. Part of the Dragonbone Club the Bokoblin was holding was now sticking slightly out of the ice. As one of the Bokoblin’s ears was uncovered, Link held his breath. Almost an eternity passed in his mind before he saw the ear give a little twitch. _Sweet Hylia, it’s still alive_ he thought as water dripped down the tip of the ear. That was when the remainder of the ice chunk started to vibrate slightly. Link backed up cautiously, while also taking as many notes as he could. It appeared that once the club was exposed to the air, melted water ran down the handle and slowly began dethawing the Bokoblin from the inside. Moreover, it looked like the Bokoblin was repeatedly flexing and unflexing its muscles to try to escape. Before Link could get a better look, a large crack formed down the front before exploding - shattering the ice prison into tiny pieces. The force of the explosion sent the Bokoblin’s club sailing into the snow a ways away, causing the startled Hylian to cover his face and quickly grab his sword handle. It looked like he might have a fight on his hands. 

When the mist cleared, Link saw the once-frozen Bokoblin staring right at him. It had seemingly no injuries from being frozen in the block of ice. If anything it looked reinvigorated after breaking out. For the longest moment in time the two stared each other down, completely motionless. Link kept his grip on the sword handle firm, but left it unsheathed. The Bokoblin’s eyes darted from Link, to the Fire Rod in front of it, then back to Link. Scenarios raced through Link’s head, but he was in a position where if the Bokoblin made even the slightest movement towards the Fire Rod it would be met with deadly steel. But that moment never happened. This was very uncharacteristic of Bokoblins. They very often acted on a “kill first, ask questions never” basis, and rarely showed hesitation - or even restraint for that matter. Even weirder, the bright beady blue eyes on the Bokoblin seemed to light up. Although there was nothing on Hyrule that could’ve prepared Link for what happened next.

From the Bokoblin’s mouth came a hoarse vocalization. “Hylian...helped us?”

Link felt like a log hit him straight in the chest. It spoke. The Bokoblin said something that wasn’t just an incomprehensible grunt or scream. He was almost in disbelief but he’d learned to trust his ears above all things. He didn’t know how exactly to respond, so instead he just nodded.

The Bokoblin gave an inquisitive grunt and scratched its head. “Why?” it asked.

Link once again couldn’t come up with a response, so he shrugged.

This left the Bokoblin looking even more puzzled, until it jumped in panic and started looking around frantically. “Where is Wizzrobe?” it asked.

In reply, Link took his hands and mimicked drawing a bow back. He then “released” the mime arrow and made a “pew” sound.

“Heh heh...pew...” the Bokoblin nodded, mimicking Link’s motions.

Link realized it would be a good idea to try to keep the Bokoblin occupied before it realized its main goal was to kill him. “Uhhh...you should take a seat and tell me what happened.” he said, motioning towards the rock he’d been sitting on.

Instead the Bokoblin dropped right where it was standing, and more importantly, close to the flame weapons lying on the now-snowless ground. Link was still nervous, but at least with the Bokoblin sitting down he’d have ample time to react if it decided to go violent. The lone Bokoblin rubbed its head, likely due to the struggle of trying to speak Hylian. “Wizzrobe went crazy. Froze Moblin first, then us. Kept laughing. We hate Wizzrobe, and Moblin and Lizalfos also hate Wizzrobe. Everyone hate Wizzrobe.” it said, pounding its fists into the ground.

Link internally chuckled, morbidly satisfied that even Ganon’s allies hate the Wizzrobes. Although he was still curious about the Bokoblin. After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn more about the monsters of Hyrule, so Link pried further. “So why were you with the Wizzrobe in the first place?” he asked, inching back to his makeshift stone stool.

The Bokoblin stared Link dead in the face, the normal shining blue eyes now dulled and full of apathy. “Lord Ganon gave orders” it spoke, its voice dropping a few pitches. “Wizzrobe part of group. All of us unhappy, but obeyed. To defy The Calamity worse than death.”

Link felt the wind pick up and the temperature drop a few degrees. He shivered and brought his arms close to his body. “Surely, The Calamity has better things to do than inspect a couple Bokoblins in the middle of nowhere.” he said. _This could be a huge breakthrough_ thought Link. As long as the Bokoblin didn’t figure out who he was, then he could get some crucial info on Ganon. 

In response, the Bokoblin violently shook its head and brought its legs up to its chest so it was tightly curled up. “No. No no no. Lord Ganon sees all. The Malice everywhere. In ground, in sky, in our blood. And the eyes. Never blinking, always watching. Defiance means punishment. Punishment is quick. Punishment is eternal.” the Bokoblin shuddered as it rocked back and forth.

“What happens to the defectors?” Link asked, a little afraid of what the Bokoblin would say next. 

The Bokoblin snapped to look Link directly in the eyes. “When Bokoblin die, return to The Malice. Dark. Cold. Empty. When Moon bleed red, Bokoblin and kin given flesh again. To follow Lord Ganon. Defiers not so lucky. Betrayers to The Calamity reborn as Stal. Stal lack flesh, only bone. Stal lack thought. All Stal know is hunger. Hunger for meat. From friend or foe, not matters much.”

A chill ran down Link’s spine. All he could do was stare down at the huddled-up Bokoblin with pity. He figured the hierarchy of Ganon’s troops was tyrannical, but he had no idea it went this far. He had assumed agents of The Calamity were just mindless drones.

“Does Hylian understand? Understand fear of losing skin? Forced into vessel of bone?” it asked.

Link immediately felt a splitting headache. It was much different than the sensations he got when a piece of his old memory would return. This pain was much more sharp, and located at the top of the temple. Maybe it was the high altitude, but he could have sworn he saw the terrifying face of a skeletal man. In the fleeting hallucination he was able to make out its singular glowing red eye and a mossy bronze helmet - one with protrusions on the top and sides that resembled a compass. The emaciated face had a grimace, but it didn’t look angry. Instead it just seemed somber. The vision faded from Link’s sight just as soon as it came.

“I think I understand your fear, but that also doesn’t sound like a way to live.” Link replied, trying his best to show sympathy for something he originally had no problem cutting down by the dozens.

The Bokoblin relaxed its legs and began tracing with one of its fingers in the dirt. “That how Bokoblin survive. For thousand years. For thousand years before thousand years. No use changing.” it said as it moped.

Link pursed his lips. He never thought he’d end up being a Bokoblin counselor, but here he was. “So far you’ve been talking about your race, but what about you as an individual? What do you want to do?” Link asked.

The Bokoblin looked even more puzzled than ever. “You? Individual? We do not understand, Hylian.”

“Yeah, ‘you’ as in you: the single Bokoblin.” Link said, pointing to it. “Does this Bokoblin even have a name?”

Link could see the gears turn in the Bokoblins head, desperately trying to understand the Hylian’s vernacular. “Name? We do not have name. We are Bokoblin.” it grumbled back.

Trying a different approach, Link slipped the Knight’s Shield off his back and slid it across the snow so it would reach the Bokoblin. It flinched when the shield abruptly stopped at its feet. “Look at the reflection. That’s you.” Link said.

The Bokoblin reluctantly grasped the shield in its hands and tilted the shiny side towards its face. It jumped slightly in surprise when it saw another Bokoblin inside the shield staring right at it. It waved its arm around, the Bokoblin inside the shield did the same. It cocked its head to the side, the Bokoblin inside the shield did the same. It wiggled its pig-like nose and stuck out its tongue, same result.

“See, Hylians don’t refer to ourselves as a collective species. We recognize that there are enough differences between us to have names for each individual Hylian. Some have their name given to them at birth, some choose their own names.” Link explained as the Bokoblin continued to play with the reflective shield. He wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but playing things by ear had gotten him this far.

The novelty of the shield wore off before long and the Bokoblin was left staring at its reflection. As it gazed deeper into its own eyes it felt a presence in the back of its mind. Like some long-buried conscience was desperately trying to reach the surface of thought. Meanwhile, the Bokoblin grappled harder and harder with the reality of facing its own sense of self. Slowly, it reached out and put its hand on the shield, touching its doppelganger. “Given...name?” it whispered before turning its head back to Link. “Can Hylian give us name?” it asked.

Link slowly blinked. He was not expected to be put on the spot like this. “Give you a name? Uhhh, sure…” he said, trying to rack his brain for a name to give to this odd Bokoblin. Normally he was fairly good at improvising answers, but giving a name to something that he’d never assumed to be sentient was definitely out of his comfort zone. “How about…” he stalled, thinking of something that’s simple and relatable for the Bokoblin. He quickly decided to toss out all originality because he didn’t know what else to go with. “...How about...Kobb?” he suggested, internally facepalming for not even being subtle. Like, Bo-Kobb-Lin? Really?

The Bokoblin’s ears perked up and it looked back towards its reflection. “Kobb…” it said, its eyes having a glaze over them as it wrestled with this existential feeling. To the Bokoblin, it felt like there were two opposing forces inside its own mind. It would’ve had what’s considered a headache, but the concept of pain had long been forgotten under the command of Ganon. The more it stared at the reflection, the more it came to terms with itself. The creature it locked eyes with was itself, that’s who it was, and that’s who it will always be. “That is Kobb. I...I am Kobb” it managed to cough out.

Instantly the mind of the Bokoblin cleared up as if its cloudy thoughts were completely blown away, causing it to fall back in shock. A rush of feelings filled its body that almost gave it sensory overload. It could feel the cold air enter its large nostrils and through its lungs every time it breathed. It could feel the hard permafrost ground down its back. It slowly pulled itself back up, and could now feel a slight ache on the back of its head. While many would complain, feeling pain for the first time felt exhilarating for the Bokoblin. As it went back to the Knight’s Shield, it could feel the satisfying shiny surface gliding across its fingers. As it looked at its reflection once again everything felt different, yet the same. The only thing that really changed was its eyes. The once solid blue orbs now bore distinct pupils, teeming with energy that could only be called “life”. For the first time, Kobb felt truly alive.

From Link’s point of view, a giant dark red cloud exploded from the Bokoblin’s head in all directions. The miasma dissipated from the air as soon as it came, but Link initially thought that he’d accidentally killed the Bokoblin. To his relief it sat back up, but there was an entirely different aura surrounding it. He no longer felt like he was only a misstep away from having to fight the creature. He wasn’t entirely sure what he did, but this was potentially a huge breakthrough. Link suddenly got a rush of nostalgia remembering when he first stepped outside the Shrine of Resurrection. He could only assume Kobb was having a very similar experience.

“The Malice...gone.” Kobb muttered as it began to massage its head with its stubby fingers.

Link made several quick blinks in surprise. He figured that’s what the dark cloud was, but the fact that the Bokoblin managed to purge Ganon’s presence and still live was astounding. “What does that mean for you?” Link asked, already knowing the answer.

Kobb slowly got to its feet and ripped the skull necklace off, casting it aside. Triumphantly it stood tall with a puffed out chest. “The Calamity can burn. Kobb...I...am in charge of future.” it said while raising a fist towards the sky.

Link chuckled and walked over to his unexpected new ally. He picked up the Knight’s Shield left on the ground and handed it to Kobb. “You should take this with you, as a memento” Link said, to which the Bokoblin eagerly accepted the gift and slipped the shield over its left hand. While it was normally fairly heavy for Link, Kobb seemed to have absolutely no trouble raising it over its head as it jumped around in excitement. In addition Link picked up the Flameblade he had used to thaw out the ice. “You should take this with you as well. After all, you don’t want the rest of your camp to be left frozen?” he said, handing Kobb the sword.

Slowly the Bokoblin grasped the glowing red weapon. It felt good in its hands, and the warmth Kobb felt from looking at it exhilarated him. As Link mentioned the rest of its camp, it looked at the Hylian with worrisome curiosity. “Can other Bokoblin be freed like Kobb...me?” it asked.

Link shrugged. “It’s worth a shot! Maybe try to get them to look at the shield like you did.” he suggested. “Although you should probably do that when I’m not around because...you know…” Link said as he gestured to himself “...Hylian and all that.”

Kobb nodded. “Yes...I...will free other Bokoblin from The Malice. We will live...not only survive.” it said as it raised the shield up to its head to gaze into its own reflection once more.

Softly, Link put his hand on Kobb’s shoulder. “Then I wish you the best, my friend.” he said, about to move on before he suddenly remembered he needed something important. “Actually, before I go, could I take a picture of you, Kobb?” he asked as he took out the Sheikah Slate.

Upon seeing the ancient artifact with the Sheikah insignia on it, Kobb instantly felt a rush of memories. That was the exact symbol and device forcibly shown to it countless times in dreams and during its time in The Malice. The Bokoblin’s orders were almost always the same: destroy the carrier of that enemy artifact. “That thing…” Kobb said, pointing to the Sheikah Slate “...Hylian is Link: Blight of Calamity Ganon?”

Instinctively Link’s hand started moving towards the hilt of his sword. “Yes...I am he.” he nervously replied. He was starting to worry maybe there was still some bit of Malice left over.

Except Kobb no longer felt any rage inside it from seeing that symbol. If anything the distinct Sheikah emblem felt oddly soothing to look at, liberating even. The Bokoblin then kneeled to the ground and bowed its head in respect. “Thank you, Hero.” it said.

A wave of anxiety rushed through the Hylian. While much of his memory had yet to come back to him, he still felt the lingering pain of being known only as the “Hero of Hyrule”. Instinctively Link stepped back and waved his hands in a negative gesture. “Nono please...just call me Link. If anything, I don’t want you to put yourself under someone else right after you escaped from that with Ganon.” he said, now rubbing his head sheepishly.

“Ohh...right...heh heh…” Kobb said before getting back on its feet, now feeling a little silly, itself. 

“Anyways…” Link said as he walked to be side-to-side with Kobb, clearly trying to break the awkward moment “...check this out: this thing can create pictures almost identical to real-life, and you get to look at them later!” he said as he turned on the Sheikah Slate’s front-facing camera and kneeled down to be at Kobb’s head height. The Bokoblin was blown away that Link’s device was able to create the same effect of the shield. Link held out the Slate at arms length and tucked in the thumb and the 3rd & 4th finger on his other hand to make a gesture Purah had taught him. Kobb tried to mimic the gesture with its hands, but it lacked enough fingers so it settled for just tucking in its thumb. “Alright, on 3 gimme a smile and say ‘Snap!’ One...Two...Three!” 

A distinct _whrrclick_ came from the Sheikah Slate and Link brought it close to show the Bokoblin. Kobb was delighted to see a near 1 to 1 image of him and Link, although it was weird seeing it as a still picture rather than a reflection. Kobb treasured it, regardless. Meanwhile, Link chuckled to himself imagining how his friends would react to this picture. He wondered whether it would be funnier to put it at the beginning or the end of the report he was planning on sending to Purah.

“Well I better get going if you’re gonna thaw out your buddies before the sun sets.” Link said, heading back to where he left his knapsack. 

Kobb nodded, feeling a twinge of sorrow, but it knew they both had their own destinies. “Goodbye...and thank you...Link” it said with a toothy smile.

The knapsack was thrown over Link’s shoulder and he smiled back. “May the winds of fate let us meet again, Kobb.” he said as he began trekking through the mountain pass again towards Risoka Snowfield. The Bokoblin began to wave goodbye as Link’s figure became obscured more and more from the snowfall. Then suddenly, Link turned back around.

“Wait, Kobb!” he called out “One more thing I should mention! Since you’re now detached from Ganon this means you can no longer be resurrected! Once you die, that’s it, so be careful out there!”

Rather than fall to despair at the prospect of losing immortality, the Bokoblin raised its chin higher and shouted back “Then my last death will be worth dying!”

Link was thoroughly moved from Kobb’s response. Slowly he trudged on through the snow, until the Bokoblin became nothing more than a small outline, before vanishing beyond the blizzard entirely. Now that he was alone with his thoughts, Link drew a deep sigh as he finally processed exactly what happened. His mind wandered to the numerous times he mindlessly killed Bokoblins, Moblins, and Lizalfos alike. He had always just assumed they were all creations of Ganon, but it turns out they’re independent species forced under Ganon’s subjugation for who knows how long. Link felt sick to his stomach. _Well, they end up getting resurrected every Blood Moon, so it’s not like I’ve actually killed them, right?_ Link tried to rationalize with himself as he slogged through the snow. Even if he had forgotten nearly all of his memories from his time as a knight, one thing he’d internalized on the field of battle is that when the swords are drawn, morals must be shed for survival. It’s either you or the other guy.

But from now on, “the other guy” will be known as a Bokoblin, Moblin, Lizalfos, maybe even a Wizzrobe that Link was not able to save.

-

One morning in the sleepy Hateno Village, Purah climbed down the stairs from her bedroom into the cluttered lab. She attempted to greet Symin for the morning, but it looked like he was out doing field research. That was when she noticed a new stack of papers on top of her desk. Curses, that meant she overslept and missed a Link visit. Over the past few months, Link had been assisting Purah in some research since he had access to near instantaneous travel across Hyrule thanks to the Sheikah Slate. She suspected that perhaps the Princess’ aspirations may have rubbed off on Link as he started to regain his memories. That said, the boy did have a much more…crude and self-destructive method for gathering research than Zelda did.

As she reached the top of the desk Purah immediately saw that Link had used the Purah Printer™ she invented a while ago that could transfer images from the Sheikah Slate to paper. She looked closer and noticed the picture in question was Link wrapping his arm around the shoulder of a Bokoblin. “That idiot…” she sighed “...at least the picture even being here means he didn’t die.” That was when she noticed something was off about the Bokoblin. Its eyes were of a pattern she had never seen. It had more vivid coloration, and a pupil. The Bokoblin was also smiling, but it didn’t appear malicious at all. She had never seen a happy Bokoblin that didn’t have murderous intent beyond those teeth. 

As Purah poured over the pages, her aloofness quickly vanished. The Hateno Lab was filled with the sounds of shuffling paper as she turned Link's report inside out. She yanked other books off the shelves to cross-reference and reread numerous passages - because there was no way _that's_ what she just read. Purah found this entire report hard to believe, yet based on her own research this made everything fall into place. There was no other logical explanation. When she finally reached the end of the last page, she saw some additional scribble at the very bottom.

_If they can understand Hylian, then they must have their own language._

_If they can understand names, then they can give names to themselves._

_If they can be freed from Ganon, then they could free each other._

_They could be our allies, Purah._

_We wouldn’t have to fight._

_-Link_


End file.
